The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a special event in its headquarters in Washington, DC, during which letters were inscribed in the Washington Torah and a mezuzah was placed on the office door of its Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Close to 50 senior staff and guests from Congress and White House officials were present for the lunchtime inscription and ceremony.
The words written in the Torah were from Devarim regarding Bal Tashchis (Deuteronomy 20:19), “Do not wantonly destroy its trees” for “Man is like a tree in the field” along with finishing the words from Bereishis about Adam in Gan Eden, L’avdah U’leshamrah (Genesis 2:15)– Man’s mandate to work – and protect – the earth.
Administrator Zeldin expressed personal feelings about his Jewish identity and public service—he served in the US Military, was a Member of Congress, ran for governor of New York, and is now a member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet.
He completed his remarks with a story about his great-grandfather who was a chosid of the sixth Lubavitch Rebbe, followed by an overview and explanation of the program by Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Senior Shliach and Executive Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) in Washington, DC.
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